Dragons, Demons, and- Hiccups?
by baka-neko-fan
Summary: Runi (Natsume) can see demons (youkai) and is ostracized for it. His luck changes when he finds a book and a "Hiccup" like himself. These are the tales of their adventures together. (Review please! I know the summary sucks, but I'm trying, really!)
1. Prologue

Alright, so this is a bit of a stretch, but worth it, I think. Natsume's name is, from here on, Runi. Sorry, but "Natsume Takashi/Takashi Natsume" is just... Not... Norse. I thought about maybe having one of his parents be Japanese, but I just don't see how that would happen. Trying to be at least semi-realistic. So, Runi it is. According to this site I found, Runi means something about runes. I don't remember exactly what, so sue me. Point is, it works with his ability to read the names of youkai in the Book of Friends. That's another thing- youkai are going to be called "Demons" because it makes my life easier and because it's probably what vikings would have called them.

Remember, Runi is 9 (at least, for now) so his personality is going to be like child Natsume's.

Oh, also, I'm going to stick to the movie-style characters and plot for the most part, but I might bring in other dragons and Hiccup _can_ speak dragonese. There are dragons on Berk even when they're not attacking the village, and Hiccup has a knack for finding them. The other vikings aren't aware of this because they're not that bright.

I'm not sure if I'll continue this, this chapter is a prologue/putting out feelers to see if anyone would even be interested in it. Honestly, I'm not sure about it myself. It's not my best work, but I think it'd be fun to see youkai involved with the dragons, and give Hiccup a friend. x.x Natsume fit the bill.

* * *

"Oi, Thuggory, look what I found," A burly young teen named Rotland shouted as he banged on the door to Mogadon's home. Two boys who had been rather preoccupied practicing their rudery tactics turned. The larger, Thuggory, moved to open the door, and a cautious yet curious boy called Runi followed close behind. Runi was pretty much everything a Viking was not supposed to be. He was small, and quiet, polite as he tried to keep out of the way. Of course, he could deliver quite the punch or kick when he was in danger, but he found he rarely ever was.

Strangely, although he was the perfect target for bullying, the other members of his tribe tended to steer clear of him. It was probably just as well, but of course, being left out of everything was a painful and lonely life, and the looks the other Vikings gave him were unsettling to say the least. You see, it was rumored that little orphan Runi killed his own parents with a curse when he was just an infant. The chief, Mogadon, had taken him in out of respect for his parents, who had been great vikings indeed, but it was not as if he nurtured the boy as his own. Rather, his own son, about the same age as Runi, got far superior treatment from the clothes on their backs to the food on their plates to the praise (or lack thereof) when they did something well, it seemed that while Thuggory had his life handed to him on a silver platter, Runi was incapable of doing much of anything right, and even then he was completely unworthy of praise. In fact, it seemed the more he did right, the more people feared him, fearing his curses.

Superstitious as they were, it's not the natural conclusion to think that a child cursed his parents. Of course they believed the boulder had fallen on their house coincidentally, and, in fact, it had, but as Runi got older and learned to talk, he spoke of frightening things. Demons. He would often ask about people who didn't exist, or creatures that never were, saying they were standing right in front of him, wondering how they could not notice it. Now that he was a bit older, age nine, he had learned to keep his mouth shut and let someone else make the first comment if he saw something weird. It was a foolproof way of knowing if what he saw was really there. However, there were exceptions- when something was particularly frightening, he would often have trouble containing his shock, and would catch the other boys making fun of him for it later, when they thought he wasn't around.

"What is it, Rotland? It'd better be good, I was just about to belch the anthem!" Thuggory greeted, looking down at the paper the other boy held.

Peering around Thuggory, Runi read the paper and mumbled to himself, "Only my true heir shall be able to find my one true treasure... Along the shore's edge there lies a hollow where monsters dare not follow- the monsters, they be unfamiliar to the others, they'd do well to heed your warnings, but fear not, for you are safe within the drawings."

"What are you mumbling about?" Rotland addressed Runi, "All it says is somethin about an heir and treasure, the rest is all scribbles."

Taking a second look, he noticed that Rotland was right- written in normal runes was the phrase "Only my true heir shall be able to find my one true treasure" but everything after that was scribbles. "But I saw it," Runi protested, before he could stop himself, "I know what it means, I've been there."

"You know where the treasure is?" Thuggory wondered aloud, a greedy glint in both his and Rotland's eyes.

He winced, "Well... Yes, but it's really dangerous, we shouldn't-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was dragged roughly down to the beach. "I really don't think this is a good idea." He warned again, but the other boys would have none of it.

"What've you got to be afraid of, there's nothing here!" Rotland gestured to the seemingly empty beach around them.

Trying to think of another way to encourage Runi, Thuggory added, "Besides, if you find some great treasure, they'll have to accept you as one of us, right?"

Runi, who was eyeing a one-eyed frog with a weary feeling that the frog's body didn't end where it touched the sand, muttered under his breath, "Yeah, right, nothing to be afraid of. I'll be a hero."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far."

He looked up suddenly as the "frog" rose out of the ground and showed its true form- a giant, two-legged, cycloptic frog with disguise legs on its head to fool prey thinking a frog would make an easy meal. Startled, Runi fell backwards, catching the other two boys off-guard. "What's the matter, seen another demon, Runi?" Rotland jeered, trying yet another tactic. Perhaps bullying would work- Thor knows they hadn't tried it.

"Run!" Runi squeaked as the frog lunged at him. He got to his feet and took off running, looking for the cave. It said he would be safe inside the drawings... It must have meant the strange symbols outside of the cave he found in a situation similar to this. He found and quickly ducked into the cave. It was dark inside the cave, and the last time he'd come in, he hadn't thought to look around. As before, the frog stopped outside the cave and glared at him. Doing his best to ignore this, he wandered deeper into the cave until his foot hit something hard. With a yelp of surprise, he felt around and found that what he had run into was actually a wooden chest. Unfortunately, it was far too dark to see anything here, so he sat down with his back resting against it and somehow managed to fall asleep.

Hours later, Runi awoke to the voice of Mogadon calling for him. Mogadon would not normally have bothered to come looking for Runi, however, between the fear of being cursed and dreams of treasure, he felt he had no choice. Seeing that the evil frog demon was gone, Runi grabbed hold of the chest and dragged it outside. "There you are! You shouldn't run off like that, you worried us." Mogadon lied, looking from the little blonde boy to the locked chest. "Ah, you found the treasure!" Without second thought, he cut the lock off of the chest and peered inside. Runi, who was closest, also looked in, as well as several of the tribesmen, including the two boys who had dragged him on the treasure hunt in the first place.

"What's this? A book of scribbles? You really are useless, aren't you, Runi?" Rotland sneered, and before Runi could respond, he found himself being shoved headfirst into the chest. Because of his size, he fit inside rather nicely- even when the lid snapped shut to keep him in before he could see who pushed him, and the click of a lock, holding him in.

"Wha- I didn't do it! Let me out!" Runi pounded on the box as he felt himself being lifted by strong arms.

"I've been meaning to do this for a long time, Runi. It's for the good of the tribe." Mogadon said in a cold, detached tone as the box was set down, then launched suddenly. It wasn't hard to guess where he was. Runi could clearly hear the deafening splash as wood connected with water, and the water lapping at the sides when the box surfaced.

Runi closed his eyes and sat back, trying to get as comfortable as one could when crammed inside a chest. It had been nearly sunset when he was thrown into the water, and he had no idea where he would come to shore- if he made it to shore. And the book, what of that? Looking back, it was probably the luckiest day of his life. Getting cast out to sea was likely the best thing that could have happened to him- for he happened to be headed straight for the shores of Berk, the promise of a fresh start and a new life. Of course, the hour he spent inside that chest made him think differently, as, in the darkness, he had no idea where he was headed, but he would soon find out.

Another young lad called Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III sat along the shores of Berk, trying his best to skip stones, but failing miserably. "Hiccup the Useless," He mumbled to himself, "I don't know if I should be offended or proud. At least it's not "Hiccup the Outcast..." yet." He fell back in the sand, "And here they expect _me_ to be chief of the tribe some day? I'd be overthrown before I sat down to my first meal as chief." Something hit his foot, and he ignored it at first, but when another wave came in, it happened again. Deciding to move what he assumed was a rock, presuming it was light enough to pick up on his own, Hiccup sat up and blinked. He found himself face to face with a treasure chest. "Treasure?" He wondered aloud, crawling closer to it.

"Not really, just a book of scribbles." The chest replied, much to Hiccup's surprise. Treasure chests, last he heard, were _not_ supposed to talk. ((A/N: He's being sarcastic because he thinks Hiccup is a demon))

"Funny. You don't _sound _like a book of scribbles." He commented sarcastically. "What are you really?"

"Not a Viking, I can tell you that." Runi admitted, "Also rather squished and in need of a nice long pee. Probably some food wouldn't hurt."

Intrigued, Hiccup wondered, "Where are you from, then?"

"The Meathead Village... Where am I now?"

"Berk- Hairy Hooligan territory. I'll go get my father, just... well... I'd tell you to wait here, but-" Giving up on this sentence, Hiccup went off to fetch his father, and soon, the vast majority of the Hairy Hooligan tribe was surrounding the treasure chest. Stoick the Vast cut the lock off and cautiously lifted the lid.

With a sideways glance at Hiccup, he asked, "I thought you said this was a Meathead?"

"Like I said, I can hardly be considered a viking. Absolutely useless at everything." A rather shocked Runi admitted, standing with the "Book of Scribbles" hald tight to his chest.

With a snort, Snotlout asked, "And Hiccup the Useless is the one that found him? This is perfect. Now I have another skull to bash yours against!"

Hiccup heaved a sigh and offered a hand to the newcomer, "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and you might want to consider changing your nickname."

"Runi Frey." Runi mumbled, grabbing his arm nervously as he shook Hiccup's hand.

Easily able to put himself in Runi's shoes, he was more than certain the boy was extremely uncomfortable. If the eyes glancing in every direction like a trapped animal wasn't enough, the way he was shaking was more than enough evidence. Of course he would be. He was a 'hiccup' surrounded by huge vikings of a rival tribe. and disoriented after all that had happened. Hiccup knew everyone had questions for Runi, but now was not the time to ask them. You barrage a terrified creature, expecting something from them, and they'll either run or fight. In Runi's case, running would probably be the only option, but, nonetheless, Hiccup felt he should do something. "Well, I'm sure you have questions for us, as I know we do for you, but you said you're hungry, right? Dinner's just about done, why don't we talk more over dinner?"

"An excellent plan," Stoick, who was quite hungry himself, clapped his son on the back, using a bit too much force.

Hiccup stumbled, but was easily caught by Runi, who opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when Hiccup said, "Before you ask, yes. It's always like this."

"I see..."

"Well, not always," Gobber corrected, walking alongside the two to the great hall. Hiccup shot him a look to silence him before the poor newcomer had yet another thing to fear. He'd learn about their dragon problem soon enough, anyway.

It wasn't long before everyone settled in to the great hall with heaping plates of mutton before them. Hiccup had originally brought Runi to the table where he usually sat and ate, alone, but Stoick was quick to correct this. "Come now, my boy, we all want to hear what happened to yer." He said, pushing Runi along to the table of village elders where he sat him down. Runi looked back at Hiccup with a pleading and rather apologetic, pitiful expression.

Hiccup grimaced, feeling bad that he couldn't do much to help. Though they'd only just met, he felt somehow drawn to the boy- perhaps because of their size and "uselessness." Besides that, as the chief's son, (and chief to be if all went as planned,) he felt he had a responsibility to take care of him. Either way, he was in no real danger with Stoick and the other elders, so he saw no real reason to intervene. It'd probably just make things worse for Runi. Expressing feelings aside from anger and bloodlust was a rather un-viking like quality. Still, he moved to the table behind them so he could eavesdrop on the conversation, and no one really seemed to notice.

"So how did you end up locked in a treasure chest on the shores of Berk?" Gobber wondered as he began to eat.

Runi hesitated, but when he noticed Hiccup, who had his ear not so subtly turned towards him, he relaxed a bit. At least he wouldn't have to keep explaining himself. "Thuggory and Rotland dragged me on this treasure hunt along the beach... We somehow got split up and I wound up in a cave and practically ran into the treasure. I thought I would wait there for the other boys to catch up to me and help me carry the chest back into town, but I wound up falling asleep at some point. Then I woke up to Mogadon calling for me, and I dragged the treasure chest out and we opened it to find nothing but this book of scribbles," He held the book up to illustrate his point, though for a fraction of a second, he could have sworn he saw runes rather than scribbles inscribed on the cover. He tucked it back into his tunic, "I reached to pick it up, and the next thing I knew I was shoved and locked inside it. The last thing I heard was Mogadon saying, "I've been meaning to o this for a long time, Runi. It's for the good of the tribe." and then a big splash. After that all I heard was water and gulls until I bumped into Hiccup. I honestly thought I'd made it to one of the Outcast Tribe lands or something equally horrendous. That's why I was so surprised to see all of you, especially Stoick the vast. While today is the first time I saw you, I recognized you right away from all the descriptions. Is it really true that you popped off the head of a dragon when you were a baby?" The entire table erupted with laughter, leaving a rather confused Runi to look around himself nervously.

When the laughter subsided, Stoick asked, "Tell me, boy, why would Mogadon do such a thing?"

Runi gulped back some food, "He's never liked me- I've always been nothing but a burden to him, and I know he's just been waiting for the opportunity to exile me. When I was an infant, before I could even walk, a boulder fell off of a nearby clifftop thanks to poor village planning, and landed on out home. My mother and father were both killed in the incident, but I miraculously survived. They think that I cursed my parents, and that I'll curse them too if they do me any wrong. You know how suspicious Vikings are..."

"Well that's absurd!" Stoick slammed his meaty fists on the table, and there were several grunts of agreement from his fellows. "I'll have to have a talk with-"

"No!" Runi got to his feet and began to plead, "He's really not a bad man, he was just trying to do what he felt was right for his tribe. He took me in and raised me when no one else would... Out of respect for my parents and fear of my curses, but regardless of reason, he was kind... er... _tolerant_ of me, though I was nothing but a burden. If you tell him, he'll think I cursed him vicariously through you. Every scratch on his helmet or nick in his armor that he will inevitably have, he'll attribute to my curse."

The table fell silent, and, consequently, the rest of the Great Hall did as well. Just what kind of Viking was this child? Begging and pleading, doing his best to stay out of the way? It was Hiccup that finally stood and moved to Runi's side, "Think maybe that's enough with the interrogations for one night. Come on, I'll show you around Berk." He offered. Runi gratefully accepted this offer and followed Hiccup outside.

The moment the doors closed behind him, Runi said softly, "I'm sorry about that, really. I'm not used to being the center of attention."

"Tell me about it," Hiccup agreed, "And they want _me_ to be the next chief!"

Runi blinked in realization, "You're Stoick's son?"

"That's about how my dad reacts every time he sees me." He raised his voice as loud as he dared, "Excuse me, barmaid. I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fishbone." With a dejected sigh, he turned his gaze to the ground. Without even realizing, he'd led Runi right back to the beach he'd come from.

"You're looking at it wrong." Runi murmured, "You're upset that he's disappointed in you for being, well... You, but at least he's paying enough attention to _be_ disappointed. I'm sure you've got some hidden talent. We all do, it's just... Some are more useless to Vikings than others."

"Yeah?" Hiccup glanced up at him, "We'll I think I do alright with weapon inventing and I love to draw, but like you said-"

"-Useless to Vikings. Bet the Romans would appreciate those skills, not that I'm saying Rome is better, just... Sometimes I think it'd be good if the Vikings were just a little bit more civilized." Runi sighed and sat down on the sand, allowing his bare feet to soak in the tide.

Hiccup nodded in agreement, "The times are changing, so we should, too." There was silence between them for a moment before he finally sat down and asked, "What about you? What's your hidden talent?"

"Making people hate me."

"No, I'm serious! There must be something, right?"

Runi heaved a sigh and pulled out the book of scribbles, handing it to Hiccup. As the other boy flipped through it, he watched, and was able to read off the names, though he didn't do so out loud. "What do you think?" He asked after a while.

"It's a book of scribbles, like you said-" He moved to hand the book back to Runi when something fluttered out of it. Hiccup picked it up and examined it, "It looks like a note written in those same scribbles. Are they special runes?"

"I don't know what they are," Runi admitted, "But I can read them. The title says "Book of Friends" and there are a bunch of names written in it." He took the note from Hiccup and read it aloud, not thinking much about the words as he spoke them, "To you, my true heir, I leave my greatest treasure, my book of friends. To find the name of a friend, picture their name in your head and hold the book, it will open to their page. Should you ever find yourself in need of a friend, draw a circle on the ground like this: [Insert circle], stand in the center, and call the name of the beast you wish to summon. To free the beast, place the paper in your mouth, clap your hands together, and blow on the page through your teeth. I leave this to you, and you alone, for you are the only one who can handle its power. You must never let this book out of your sight, and always treat it with great care, for the names of those in this book are bound to it by their very souls- anything that happens to the paper, happens to their soul. The Vikings may find you, yourself to be useless, but introduce them to the power they're afraid of and they'll have no choice but to see you in a new light. Always remember that what you have can be a gift or a curse- it all depends on how you choose to use it, and I know that you will make the right decisions. ~Reiko Frey" There was a pause as the two sat together, trying to comprehend this message. "Reiko Frey... I think that was my grandmother's name."

Hiccup glanced over at Runi, "Your grandmother? So I guess you really are her heir then, huh? I wonder what she meant by that note though. Summoning beasts that are also friends... Is she talking about dogs?"

Runi shrugged, "If that's the case, I'm sure they're all long dead by now." Tucking the book and note away, he lie back in the sand, "I heard that she was from Berk, originally. She was born here, but met the love of her life at the rite-of-passage game and she was married off to the Meatheads. She was young at the time, and if I remember correctly, the chief of the Hooligans had his eye on her for some reason or another. It could have been love, but most say it was more likely that she was a promising asset of the tribe. That's what spurned the still-standing rivalry between the Meatheads and the Hairy Hooligans." He glanced over to see that Hiccup was staring at him in shock, having trouble absorbing all of this information at once. "I read a lot back home. Kept me out of the way, and the Hairy Scary Librarian was rather good to me."

Hiccup leaned back on his hands, gazing up at the stars, "It must have been weird hearing about your family through books rather than stories from your parents." He said finally.

"Not really, just different is all. You can't miss what you can't recall. Besides, without parents, I'm not really disappointing anyone buy myself when I fail at everything." Looking up at Hiccup, he asked, "Who is your father, anyway?"

"Stoick the Vast, Hear His Name and Tremble Ugh Ugh!" Hiccup rolled his eyes a bit as the his father's full title rolled off his tongue, "Meaning they expect _me_ to be the next chief. _Me,_ Hiccup the useless. As much as I hate to say it, and I really do _hate_ to say it, they'd be better off with Snotlout in charge. He may be arrogant, pig-headed, a bunch of other nasty things, but at least he's strong. At least he's a Viking."

Runi seemed surprised, "You're _Stoick's...? _I don't see the resemblance. Maybe in the hair color..." He shook these thoughts from his mind, "Chief..." He let the word soak in for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I can see it. I mean, I haven't met this Snotlout-"

"You have, he's the one that made the joke about bashing our heads together. I use the term 'joke' loosely. It'll probably happen. Tomorrow."

"But from what I've seen of you, you've got the qualities one would expect in a leader."

Taken aback, Hiccup asked, "...I... do?"

"Sure you do! Take me for example, you knew when to help me out of awkward and uncomfortable situations, and you knew when to leave me be. I didn't have to say anything, or even look at you, really."

"No, no, no," Hiccup got to his feet, causing Runi to sit up in surprise, "That's not what a Viking leader does. I was just looking out for you."

"Which Viking leaders do."

"But not with emotional things! You tell a Viking you miss your mother and they'll ask if you want to miss your arm as well. Feelings are completely unimportant here, and the fact that people like you and I have and dare to express them makes us weaker and less acceptable individuals."

Runi, too, stood up, "As I said, times are changing, people are changing, and the need for blind violence is being replaced by the need for specialized skills and cunning... And besides that, emotional support is one of the best kinds, in my opinion. Having never had it, I can't really say too much, but..." He yawned widely, closing his eyes as he did so.

"You tired? Come on, I imagine you'll be staying at our house for now." Hiccup led Runi back to his home, where Stoick was preparing a bed of hay of Runi in Hiccup's room. "Um, dad? I figured Runi will probably be staying with us for a while, right?" Hiccup asked as Runi came up behind him.

"Of course. I hope you don't mind the hay, we don't have any spare beds."

"No, thank you very much for your hospitality," Runi murmured, and with this, Stoick left the two, who almost fell asleep almost immediately afterwards.

* * *

I'm really hoping you readers will give me reviews on this because I'm so uncertain and could use some support. Leave it up, take it down, change something...? Talk to me, people.


	2. Of Friends and Scribbles

Hiccup awoke in the middle of the night to a loud thump and Runi's soft voice pleading, "I honestly don't know _what_ you're talking about- maybe you're mistaking me for someone else? No, I swear I'm not! Can we at least continue this conversation outside, we're going to wake the people who live here."

Rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness, Hiccup was eventually able to make out a figure, which turned out to be Runi, pinned against the wall by an invisible force. Under normal circumstances, he would have decided the other boy was a bit loony from the seawater he undoubtedly ingested on his way over, but Hiccup noticed something strange- not only was Runi pinned against the wall, but his feet were off the ground and he was grabbing at his neck as if he were being strangled... But there was nothing there. Cautiously, Hiccup got up, which didn't seem to attract any attention from Runi, who appeared to be looking right at him. "Runi?" He asked finally, "What in Odin's name are you doing?"

Playing it cool, a coughing Runi dropped his arms to his sides and choked, "Must've been sleepwalking. And talking."

"And floating?" Hiccup gestured to the boy's feet, though Runi's gaze didn't follow them. It was almost as if he couldn't see Hiccup, like his view was obstructed. Still, Runi's eyes eventually made their way down to his feet and he flinched when he saw that they were, in fact, off the ground.

Suddenly, fear struck his features, "No, he has nothing to do with this, please! I don't know what you're talking about, but don't hurt him, he's just trying to hel-" Runi's feet hit the ground and he nearly lost his balance- but not before he saw giant humanoid demon lunge for Hiccup, knocking him to the floor.

Hiccup, who couldn't see the beast, struggled against it, trying to get up, but it was no use. "Runi? Now might be a good time to tell me what's happening."

"Hiccup!" Runi rushed to his newfound friend's aide and with a powerful kick, sent the monster flying into the wall.

With a hiss of "this isn't over," the monster disappeared into the night, and Runi fell to sit beside Hiccup, panting.

Sensing that the danger had passed, Hiccup asked, "What was that all about?"

Runi shook his head, "I honestly have no idea." Shakily, he got to his feet, "But I should go. Thank you for your hospitality, but I think Mogadon was right, me being in the middle of the ocean is probably best for everyone."

"What? Why? What attacked us just now? You were talking like you could see it. Could you?" Seeing the hesitance in Runi's expression, Hiccup assured him, "I won't tell anyone, I promise. One Hiccup to another, right?"

"You're lying." Runi mumbled, "Everybody says that. They promise they won't tell. Next thing I know I've made a handful of new enemies, saying I'm a liar and I'm just trying to get attention, that I'm cursed. I didn't _ask_ for this!" He drew his knees to his chest and hugged them, "But nobody understands- how could they? They can't see it. Vikings don't have time to deal with problems they can't see- much better to outcast anyone who speaks of them."

Inhaling deeply as he put everything together, Hiccup pounded his fist on his hand, "Demons! Are you talking about demons?" Runi's eyes widened, then closed as he recoiled, waiting for a blow that never came. Rather than trying to harm Runi, Hiccup was pacing around his room ranting about how much sense it made, how he couldn't believe it took him so long to figure it out. Finally, he turned his attention back to Runi and asked excitedly, "So?"

Runi, who had flinched at the sudden movement, wasn't really sure what to say. "So? I should be asking you that. This is the part where you hurl insults."

"That's never gotten me very far in the past," Hiccup admitted lamely, "Although one time-" He cut himself off when he realized that the humiliating story he'd been about to ramble about was completely irrelevant. Shaking his head to clear the memory of that horrible day away, he asked, "That was a demon just now, wasn't it? And you could see it!" When Runi said nothing, Hiccup heaved a sigh, "Oh, come on, Runi, I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

Suddenly getting to his feet, Runi snapped, "Help me? _Help_ me?!" Tears began to well in his eyes, but he struggled to hold them back while his voice cracked, "You think you can help me fight something you can't even see? These, these, these... monsters? That've been chasing me since the day I was born? Why'd I have to get these stupid powers? Not like I can do anything against those things, I mean, look at me! I've got enough trouble lifting a shield, let alone fighting off those things, it's the least I can do to protect myself, and what do I get? Pity? No, not even that, I get outcast and left for dead. And now they're threatening to... Agh, I just can't take this anymore! Come on, Hiccup." He grabbed the other boy's wrist and tried to drag him out of the room, but Hiccup shook his hand free.

"Just slow down, Runi... What are they threatening?"

"Nothing if you'll just come with me." Runi pleaded, exasperated "Just come with me down to the docks, with any luck the tides'll wash me far away, but I'm going to need a push in the right direction."

Hiccup raised a brow, "What? No, nobody's getting lost at sea, not on my watch. My father would kill me if I lost our guest! Just take a deep breath, sit down, and tell me what's really going on here."

Runi hesitated, not entirely sure staying was the best idea, but he didn't want to get Hiccup into trouble, either. Perhaps he could find another way in the morning... He sighed and sat beside Hiccup on his bed, "What do you want to know?" He asked, his voice low and rather ominous.

"Well for starters, why are those demons chasing you?"

"Oh, I don't know... They're confusing me for someone else or something, and they want some book the person they think I am has... Well, some of them want the book, others just want to kill me because they think I'm the other person, or because I can see them." Runi curled his legs into his chest and huffed.

After considering this for a moment, Hiccup wondered, "Well... Have they ever said the guy's name? Maybe we can track him down."

"Hopeless, I've tried. There's nobody named Raikou* around here"

Furrowing his brow, Hiccup asked, "Do you still have that book?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well the author... Your grandmother? Her name was Reiko, right?"

"Right..."

"Isn't one way of pronouncing that set of characters "Raikou?""

The two look at each other in silence for a moment as the gears began to turn. A book... Reiko... Raikou... "Then..."

"It could be the one they're looking for is really your grandmother! Maybe you look like her."

This earned a bit of a glare from Runi, "Really? I look like an attractive female Viking?"

Hiccup shrugged awkwardly, "Well... you are... smaller than most- the book! Runi, that must be the book they're after! It's her treasure, right?"

Runi nodded and grinned, "So all I have to do is give them this book and I'm free? That's it?"

"In theory."

There was a pause as Runi withdrew the book and gazed down at it, frowning slightly, "But... This was my grandmother's treasure. It's all I have of her, or any of my family. It seems stupid to just throw it away... And besides, what do they want with it? It's just a book of names written in scribbles."

"Well, if your grandmother lived around here, maybe one of the elders remembers her. We can ask Gothi in the morning, okay?" Runi nodded in silent agreement before Hiccup continued, "For now, just try to get some sleep so you're ready if something comes at you again... And don't worry, I won't tell anybody else about this. Our little secret, Hiccup to hiccup, right?"

Runi smiled a bit sadly at this, "Yeah. I guess weirdos like us have to stick together."

"That's right. So no more secrets from now on, alright?"

Glancing down at Hiccup's hand, now extended for a shake, Runi mumbled, "Yeah, easy for you to say. You don't have any deep dark secrets."

"You don't think yours is deep or dark enough for both of us?" At this, Runi reluctantly shook Hiccup's hand, earning a grin from the other boy, "There's no such thing as one Hiccup."

"Huh?"

"I mean, you don't get "a hiccup." you get "the hiccups." There's always more than one, that's what makes them so irritating. There's always more than one and they always come back. Strength in numbers."

Runi couldn't help but chuckle at this, "You know, when you become chief, you're going to need somebody to translate your witticisms to the tribe."

"And now you have a future job. See? You're not even here a day and you've got future career!" Hiccup playfully patted his new found friend on the back, "Now get some sleep, oh future interpreter for the Hairy Hooligans."

"Yeah, alright 'chief.'" Runi rolled his eyes a bit and settled into his makeshift bed. Hiccup really was full of all sorts of surprises, and already Runi felt like a welcome visitor of Berk, but how long would it last? Either way, for now, all he could do was hope that this "Gothi" knew more about his grandmother than Mogadon had, and pray to the Gods that he'd figure out a solution before the demons started targeting not only him, but the Hairy Hooligans as well.

In the morning, the pair did their best to smooth talk their way out of clobbering lessons , but when Gobber showed up at the door with a brand-new helmet he'd made Runi just for the occasion, well, they didn't have much choice in the matter, and soon found themselves gathered on the beach with their peers. Of course, it didn't take long for Snotlout to start rattling cages, and as usual, his favorite cage to rattle was Hiccup's. "So Hiccup, are you ready for your daily beatings? It's great that I get class credit for kicking your butt, don't you think?"

"Ugh, good morning to you too, Snotlout." Hiccup greeted sarcastically, ignoring everything else the boy had said, though it was all entirely too true.

Runi, however, was taken aback by this behavior. Having never been picked on himself (just avoided like the plague), he didn't react very well to this. "What's his problem? Doesn't he know who you are?" He hissed to Hiccup, following the other as he quickly walked away from Snotlout.

"Yeah, well, that's the problem. He enjoys pointing out the fact that I'm the future of the village, and that he'd make a better chief. Just trying to turn everyone against me. Not that he needs much help, I'm already Hiccup the Useless." Hiccup admitted with a sigh, finally turning to face Runi, only to realize that Runi was positively fuming with anger. "Hey, it's no big deal, I'm used to it-" His attempt to calm Runi only added fuel to his fire.

"Well you shouldn't have to be! Just because he's jealous-"

"Jealous? Of _That?_" Perhaps Runi had spoken a bit too loudly. Hiccup cringed and shrunk back, but Runi, feeling rather empowered by the fact that, for one thing, he had someone he was quickly realizing he could call a friend, and another, that this was at least a human opponent, stepped forward.

"Well if you're not jealous, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Encouragement to fight surrounded them in the form of cheers from their fellow students, but just as Snotlout was about to strike the first blow on Runi, who hadn't really been intending to get into a fist fight, he was lifted off the ground by his collar by their instructor for the day.

The instructor set the writhing Snotloud down a few feet away before saying, "Looks like you're ready to start today's lesson. Next time, don't start without the instructor."

Hiccup came up behind Runi and murmured, "That was incredibly stupid. Do me a favor and never do that again? Snotlout could've killed you just now."

The mumbling caught the instructor's attention, "Well it looks like you have a challenger, then. Snotlout, Hiccup, you'll start off today. The goal is to get your opponent's face to the ground for three consecutive seconds. And- begin!"

"Ugh, great." Hiccup groaned, turning to face Snotlout, "Right back where we started." It didn't take long for Snotlout to throw his first punch, although Hiccup was quick enough to duck, so only one of the horns on his helmet was hit, knocking it clean off of his head. "So much for safety," As he continued to do his best to avoid Snotlout's blows, everyone's attention appeared to be on them.

"Ugh, why don't you just hold still?!" Snotlout spat as he took a step closer to Hiccup- and disappeared. Or so it seemed. "What the-" Snotlout was, in fact, lying on the grass, having apparently tripped on Hiccup's helmet. Seizing the opportunity, Hiccup pounced on top of a still very dazed Snotlout and held his face to against the rough grass.

"Three, two, one- I never thought I'd see the day, but... Hiccup is the winner!" The instructor announced.

A stunned and confused Hiccup got to his feet, "I, I don't understand, my helmet-" He was cut off when Runi tapped him on the shoulder, grinning smugly.

"There's never just one Hiccup." With this, he presented his new friend with his helmet.

"How did you-"

"All eyes were on the fight, so I figured if I crawled around nobody'd see me. I knew you wouldn't try to get any closer to him, so... just slid it between you two."

Hiccup sighed, "Thank you, but I hope you know what you've just gotten me into."

On cue, a raging Snotlout stormed over to the pair of boys, "You, you, you-"

"I know, I know, don't get used to it, it won't happen again." Hiccup agreed, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Next up, Ruff and Tuff!" The instructor boomed, and just like that the moment was forgotten. Well, for everyone but Hiccup, Snotlout, and Runi. Lucky for Runi, because he was new and Hiccup won the first round, he was pitted against Hiccup. Of course, neither of the boys really wanted to fight each other, so it went pretty smoothly.

"Just play along," Hiccup whispered to Runi, lightly shoving his shoulders.

Runi pretended to fall back on the ground and allowed Hiccup to put his hand on his head, "holding him down." Truly, it was, the most pathetic fight between two Vikings anyone present had ever seen, but it was still technically a win, which meant training was over and they were free to go about their lives. "Sorry about that," Hiccup apologized as he began to lead Runi in the general direction of Gothi's home, "They wouldn't have left us alone if we didn't at least fake it."

"Nah, I know the rules. I mean, I was never allowed in the ring, but I know how it goes." Runi replied solemnly. When he received a questioning look, he explained, "It was widely assumed I'd curse the other children if I had to fight them, so they kept me out of competitive things. Not that I'm complaining, I'd just as soon not throw myself into harm's way. Anyway, that fight with you was the least painless one I've ever been in."

"I don't understand, if they didn't let you fight, then how did you... get into fights? It seems stupid for them to pick fights with you on their own time if they thought you'd curse them." Hiccup wondered aloud.

Runi sighed, "I never said the competitors were _humans._ I get attacked by... things... like last night."

"Oh, right... Sorry, I forgot about that."

"Nah, it's fine." The two walked mostly in silence the rest of the way to Gothi's home where they were silently welcomed inside.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I should go get Gobber to read for us, I'll be right back." Hiccup began to walk away when Gothi started writing her strange symbols.

Runi tilted his head to see them better and read aloud, "Wait, she's saying something. She says 'No, it is fine. He can read.'"

Hiccup furrowed his brow and whirled around, "You can read Gothi's writings?"

At first, Runi seemed confused, but then he realized that it was written in the same weird language as his grandmother's note! "That's the same writing that's on the note!" He exclaimed, "Gothi, can you see things, too?"

She wrote, "Alas, I cannot see, but I've heard great tales... Your grandmother taught me this language, and it's the only one I remember now, since the accident."

"Accident?"

"Gothi got hit by a falling tree during a thunderstorm and lost most of her memory. In return, she became one of the wisest in the village. Not really sure how that happened, but..." Hiccup shrugged as he explained this.

"As he says, I have no recollection of that night." Gothi agreed, "I do, however, remember your grandmother. You look just like her."

Runi chuckled awkwardly as he finished reading aloud for Hiccup's sake, "Thanks, I uh, get that a lot, in a way."

"Why do you remember her and not anyone else?" Hiccup wondered aloud.

"She was a memorable woman. Most of it's a blur, but I feel that my life is somehow indebted to her. And so I'll tell you, young Runi, what I see in you." Runi's breath hitched as he read. Here it was, he was finally going to hear why he was so messed up, what he'd always wanted to know... But why was he so scared? "You and Hiccup both are destined to do great things for this island." The boys met eyes and exchanged a look of disbelief. "Like your grandmother, you see things that others cannot. You alone have the power to protect us from those evildoers."

Runi cut in, "Didn't seem to need much protecting before I came along."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Your grandmother tormented and fought them into submission, as her forefather had before her. It's in your blood. She tricked the weak into signing a contract, what she called her Book of Friends. Reiko was a very lonely girl, always alone... The only ones who believed in her were the chief at the time, who had seen what people with her power were capable of, and myself. Everyone else thought she was a loon and avoided her as much as possible. She was always alone, but she never complained about it. Instead, she bullied the beasts, who left the village in fear of her, and wrote their names in her Book of Friends. She confided in me that she could find the name of any beast who had signed that contract simply by picturing it while holding the Book. It would turn to the page where their name was written, and using that name, she could summon them to her side at any time."

"That's what they were after!" Runi realized, "Those monsters are after their names! They want out of the contract!"

"Most likely... However, she is not the only one capable of summoning beasts using that book. Anyone who gets their hands on it could summon an army of beasts to do their bidding."

Hiccup mused, "So if one of those demons gets their hands on it, they can summon an army that could easily take out not only Berk, but likely the entire world, and we wouldn't even see it coming."

"That's correct." The woman wrote, "That Book was her most precious treasure, and it must never fall into the wrong hands."

"But as long as I have it, they're going to keep coming after me. I'll never have a normal life... Maybe I should just hide it like she did." Runi mumbled under his breath. Fortunately, Hiccup heard him.

"And risk someone else stumbling upon it? They wouldn't even know what they were getting into! At least you can see the danger coming." He reminded, thinking for a moment, "Can't he just give the names back to their rightful owners?"

The elder sighed, "It would take ages to track down every last one of them. She told me once how to return the names... Place the paper with their name on it in her mouth- it requires her saliva, but since you're a direct relative, it might still work, bite down to hold it in place, and call their name, saying "I'll restore your name. Take it and be free." Of course there's no guaranteeing they won't come after you once they get what they want."

"So it has to be me, then." The boy murmured, eyes downcast. "Maybe I should just burn it."

"No! Their souls are bound to the paper on which their names are written. If you burn it, you'll burn them. If you tear it, you tear them."

Runi winced, trying to picture the frog beast from earlier being torn in two. While it was true that the frog was trying to kill him, was it really fair to take advantage of the Book of Friends like that? "Then I'll return their names... And hope they leave me alone."

Hiccup gave him a lopsided smile, "I think they will. You didn't do anything wrong, after all, you'd be helping them."

"I'm not sure they'd see it that way..." Runi heaved a sigh, clutching the book tight to his chest. "But this is the last remaining thing I have from my family, I can't just destroy it. And it would be unfair to use the Book to hurt them, now that I know what it's capable of."

"If that's all you came for, I'll ask you to be on your way. It's nearly time for dinner, and the good mutton goes fast." The elder announced, shooing them with her hands when she finished writing.

As the pair made their way to the Great Hall, an awkward silence hung between them. Finally, Hiccup said, "Maybe it was fated by the Gods. That you came back here, I mean, with the Book of Friends."

Not meeting the other's gaze, Runi mumbled, "If that's the case, I think the Gods hate me."

Hiccup smirked a bit at this, "You and me both, bud."

* * *

*Raikou and Reiko are very similar in pronunciation. Runi would have heard the demons say it, but may not have recognized it when written down/it probably wouldn't have clicked right away.


End file.
